The physician's blood became the sick man's
salve! (Thomas Brooks, "The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures")

"He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His
wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Our sins were the cause of Christ's sufferings!

It was our sins which
smote Him, and bruised Him!
It was our transgressions which gave Christ His deadly
wounds!

Every Christian may look upon Christ and say,
"I was that Judas who betrayed You!
I was that soldier who murdered You!
It was my sins which brought all those
sorrows, and sufferings, and evils upon You!
I have sinned — and You have suffered!
I have been wicked — and You have died!
I have wounded You — and You have healed me!"

Oh, that we might look upon . . .
a humble Christ — with a humble heart,
a broken Christ — with a broken heart,
a bleeding Christ — with a bleeding heart,
a wounded Christ — with a wounded heart!

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree; by His
wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24

Here you see that the physician's
blood became the sick man's salve!

Here is the gospel mystery — that the wounding of One,
should be the cure of another!

Oh, what an odious thing is sin to God —
that He will pardon none without blood — yes, without the
precious blood of His dearest Son!

Oh, what a Hell of wickedness must there be in sin —
that nothing can expiate it but the best, the purest, the
noblest blood of Christ!

Oh, what a transcendent evil must sin be — that
nothing can purge it away but death — the accursed death of
the cross!

Oh, what a leprosy is sin — that it must have blood,
yes, the blood of God, to take it away!

~ ~ ~ ~

God's tender mercy!

(Matthew Henry)

"But while he was
still a long way off, his father saw him and
was filled with compassion for him; he ran
to his son, threw his arms around him and
kissed him!"Luke
15:20

This parable is chiefly designed to set forth the
grace and mercy of God to poor sinners who repent and return
to Him, and His readiness to forgive them.

How lively are the images of God's tender mercy presented
here!
His father saw the son — there were eyes of
mercy;he was filled
with compassion for him — there
was a heart of mercy;
he ran to meet him — there were feet of
mercy;
he threw his arms around him — there were arms
of mercy;
he kissed him — there were lips of mercy!

Oh, what a God of mercyHe
is!
Wonders of mercy — all mercy!

The prodigal came home in rags — and his father not only
clothed him, but adorned him! "Quick! Bring the best robe and
put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals
on his feet." Luke 15:22

The prodigal came home hungry — and his father not only fed
him, but feasted him! "Bring
the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and
celebrate!" Luke 15:23
Oh, what a precious reception for one of the chief of
sinners!

"He had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town
in Samaria called Sychar . . . Jacob's well was
there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down
by the well. When a Samaritan woman
came to draw water, Jesus said to her: Will you give Me a drink?"
John 4:4-7

How was it that Jesus was there at the moment when
the woman came?

Was it by chance that they
met? Was it simply an opportunity for doing
good that the Master seized? I do not so read the story. The
Good Shepherd was weary — for He had come many a mile to
fetch home a lost and wandering one!

"There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold;
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold,
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherd's care."
Everlasting love brought Him to Sychar! Everlasting
love led Him to speak to her, to ask water at her hands —
that He might give her the living water that alone could
satisfy her thirsty soul!

"He led them forth by
the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation."
Psalm 107:7

Some years ago I heard an allegory
which I have never forgotten. It often comes
back to me when I think of the way in which the Lord
leads His people.

The fable runs that a few ears of wheat were
growing in the corner of a field, and it was promised to
this wheat that it would one day be brought before the
Queen. But by-and-by the mower came with his sharp
scythe and cut the wheat, and feeling the sharpness of the
scythe, it said, "I shall never stand before the Queen!"
Presently it was laid in the wagon, and pressed and borne
down by the other sheaves, and again arose the cry of
distress and despair. But, more than this, it was laid on
the threshing-floor, and the heavy flail came down
upon it. It was taken to the mill, and cut and cut
and cut; then it was kneaded into bread; and at last it was
placed in the hot burning oven. Again and again was
heard the cry of utter, hopeless despair. But at length the
promise was fulfilled, and the bread was placed on the
Queen's table!

There is a great spiritual truth beneath the fable.
Christians are God's wheat, sprung from the
incorruptible seed of His Word, and from the precious seed
of the crucified, buried body of our Lord — and He purposes
that one day they shall stand before Him! But there needs much
preparation.

There comes the sharp scythe of bereavement — the
loss of child or parent or spouse.

There comes the oppressive burden of care.

There comes the severe tribulation (the very word
signifies threshing), seasons of adversity and
disappointment.

There comes the mill, the trial that utterly breaks
us down, and fills the whole spirit with distress.

There comes the hot furnace of agonizing pain or fear.

All these are doing their appointed work, stirring up faith
and prayer, humbling to the very dust — and yet lifting up
the Christian, by leading him nearer to God, and enabling
him at length to say, "It is good for me that I have
been afflicted!"

On opening ancient tombs in Palestine, many a tear-bottle
has been found, which was a repository for the tears of the
mourners, and was then placed in the tomb beside the one who
was laid there.

Just so does our heavenly Father gather all the tears of His
redeemed children.
"You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
You have recorded each one in Your book!" Psalm 56:8

Not one tear is lost!
Not one sorrow is unheeded. Not one grief is left
unbefriended. All these tears are noted by our merciful
Father above!

We have a Savior who has known our sorrows, and by His tears
can heal every wound that sin has made. "In all their
affliction, He was afflicted." When He was on earth, He wept
with those that wept — and He is still the same. We can
think of the tears He shed more than eighteen centuries ago
— and know that at this hour He is the same loving and
sympathizing Friend!

There is no sympathy like that of Jesus! It flows in full
flood toward His believing children. Just as the
rising tide rushes in and pours through every cranny and
nook on the shore where admittance can be gained — so does
Christ's tender loving-kindness enter the hearts of His
people.

"As He was praying, the appearance of His face
changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of
lightning!" Luke 9:29
There is a transforming efficacy of true prayer! While
Christ was praying, Divine light and glory came upon Him
from above.

And so in another way, it is with the believer. Imagine a
child of God who has had a difficult day of toil and
anxiety. He has been all day long in contact with the world,
its turmoil, its business — and perchance he has been
ruffled with the evil tempers or angry words of those he has
met.

But the evening comes. He has a quiet half hour for
communion with his Best Friend. Then, as he dwells upon some
sweet promise of the Word, as he rolls the burden of the day
upon a Father in Heaven — there comes back a quiet joy, a
calm peace into his soul. A new strength is imparted, and a
new view is taken of life's duties and temptations. The discipline
of heavenly wisdom is recognized, and instead of the
jaded look and wearied spirit — there is power and
life and gladness and hope found
upspringing within the heart!

Never, never let the Christian be robbed of the comfort of
prayer by the thought of being unfitted for its
exercise. You are tempted, it may be, to think that because
the mind has been overstrained, and you are tired and weary
— that therefore it is impossible to make the effort for
prayer.

Let it be just the other way: "I need the quiet of
my Father's presence to soothe this throbbing brow, to rest
this fainting heart — and I must have it." Then go to the mercy-seat as a little child
to a mother's knee. Your words need not be
many, but let them be from your heart — to the heart of your
Father in Heaven!

~ ~ ~ ~

Oh,
what a mystery of humility — what a mystery of
condescension and love!

The Heaven of heavens cannot contain Him — and yet He is
wrapped in swaddling clothes!

The everlasting Jehovah His Father — yet a poor Galilean
maiden His mother!

Many mansions in the Father's house are at His disposal —
and yet He is denied a lodging in a village inn.

Worshiped by angels — and yet under the same roof with the
beasts of the field.
Oh, what a mystery of humility — what a mystery of
condescension and love!

Yes, innumerable are the benefits which
Christ comes to bestow. He comes . . .
to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
to give recovery of sight to the blind,
to comfort all who mourn,
to seek and to save those who are lost,
to give His life a ransom for many,
to redeem those who were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons,
to save sinners, even the chief,
to save to the uttermost, all who come to God by Him
— from guilt, wrath, and everlasting woe,
to set them at His own right hand in glory, where
they shall shine forever in the likeness of God!

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am gentle
and humble of heart" Matthew 11:29

"Leaving you an example, that you should follow in His
steps." 1 Peter 2:21

I must not only learn the secrets of divine truth from
Christ's Word — but I must learn the secret of a holy life,
by walking as He walked. Among all lessons, none is
better than this.

I must copy Christ's humility.

I must imitate His gentleness, His forbearance, His
willingness to stoop even to the cross.

I must cast to the winds all haughtiness and self-conceit —
and be content to be nothing, if only He may be glorified.

And where there is true humility, self-sacrifice and loving
charity — purity of heart and life will not lag far behind.
For Christ Himself dwells with the humble; and where Christ
and His Spirit abide, every Christian virtue will spring
forth and grow.

Let the Christian ever remember the strong encouragement
which the Master gives to all who take His yoke. It
is a yoke lined with love. He who lays it on you is no
hard man, no cruel tyrant — but the meek and lowly One, the
Savior, the Friend, the Brother, the Bridegroom of His
redeemed people.
In love, He bids you take His yoke.
In love, He fits it to the neck of each who bears
it.
In love, He stands by you and helps you to carry it, and
gives daily grace for daily need.

One who was an utter unbeliever, was
asked why he held infidel views. "Through reading Christians instead
of reading the Scriptures," was his reply.

Oh that Christ might be seen in every one who
bears His name! Oh that we might all so learn of Him, that
the outside world would see the mighty reality of His gracethrough us!

"Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk and conduct
himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted
Himself." 1 John 2:6

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ!" 2 Peter 3:18

Hence the importance of searching more in the Word, for the
knowledge of Christ.

Learn to know Him more in the beauty of His holy, spotless
life of obedience and self-sacrifice.

Learn to know Him in the greatness of His humiliation and
sufferings.

Learn to know Him in the unspeakable benefits of His Cross.

Learn to know Him as a justifying Redeemer, clothing His
people with His spotless robe of merit and righteousness.

Learn to know Him as a living Redeemer, the living One who
can never die.

Learn to know Him as the ascended, exalted, glorified
Redeemer, and the great Advocate and High Priest of all who
draw near to the Father through Him.

Learn to know Him as a conquering Redeemer, who overcame
sin, and the world, and death, and all the powers of
darkness — and who will no less overcome them in each of His
own little flock.

Learn to know him as the Coming One, as He who shall come to
reign over earth and Heaven!
To know Christ experimentally in all His offices
and work and character,is to
gain a mighty leverage for holy living — and to grow in
faith and love and every grace.

"May grace and peace be
multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus
our Lord." 2 Peter 1:2

Is it possible, that
such poor, depraved, unworthy creatures — can be the
objects of Jehovah's delight? Yes! The infinite love of
God has been fixed upon us from eternity! Because He
loved and chose us, He sent His only-begotten Son to die
for us! He sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts to
regenerate us!

"You have loved them — AS You have loved Me!"
John 17:23
Yes, the Father has loved us — just as He has
loved Jesus — with an infinite love!

Every believer, though . . .
his faith is weak,
his fears are many,
his corruptions are strong,
his troubles are great, and
his temptations are sore —
is the object of Jehovah's delight!

Let us therefore endeavor to pass through this day, yes,
and every day — believing and realizing: "I am Jehovah's delight!
I am the object of His highest love!
I am the subject of His sweetest thoughts!
I am His portion for evermore!"

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is
exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally
sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted
with his own heart and mind]?" Jeremiah
17:9 (Amplified version)

Alas! the most marvelous proofs of the Lord's
patience and goodness to me are utterly unfit for
publication; nay, I could not whisper some things into the
ear of a friend.

It has been since my conversion, and not by what
happened before it, that I have known the most
striking instances of the vileness and depravity of my
nature. My heart has been
continually producing new monsters! I have
good reason to believe, that it is still comparatively an
unknown territory to me; and that it contains bottomless
mines, depths, and sources of iniquity in it, of which I
have hardly a more adequate conception, than I could form of
the fishes that are hidden in the sea, by taking a survey of
the fish-market at Billingsgate!

But oh! wonderful, transporting thought! He, before whom its
most retired recesses lie naked and open, can and does bear
with me! How wonderful is it, likewise, that notwithstanding
all these floods of abomination, He has been pleased to keep
me outwardly, so that I have not been allowed to make any
considerable blot in my profession before men, since He was
pleased first to number me among His children. But truly I
have nothing to boast of. I may well say, "The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ is exceedingly abundant!" 1 Timothy 1:14

"Not that I have already attained all
this, or have already been made perfect." Philippians
3:12

Alas! alas! indeed I "have not attained!" I love
the truth, and I love to declare it, and sometimes my
earnestness in the pulpit may make the hearers think I
am 'somebody'.

But could you compare Mr. Newton in the pulpit, with Mr.
Newton at home and in himself — you would startle and
exclaim, "Nothing was ever so unlike itself!"

Well, I believe it must be so in some measure — while,
like the prisoners of Mezentius, I
am chained to a dead body. But I hope the
time will come, when I shall no longer drag the
loathsome corpse of a depraved nature about with me. Ah!
what a loathsome sight; what a cadaverous smell haunts
me in every place!

I believe, if the Lord was pleased to increase my little
exercise of grace tenfold, I would be ten times more out
of conceit with myself than I am at present.

This is a poor subject — let us change it, and drop a
thought about Jesus! In Him we have wisdom,
righteousness, peace, power, and salvation. Grace
abounds in Him, more than sin can abound in me — and His
compassion is fully adequate to my case. With Him there
is plenteous redemption, therefore I will trust and not
be afraid.

The more vile I — the more glorious and wonderful will
He be in saving me to the uttermost! I wish to be
humbled under a sense of sin, to strive in His strength
against it; and then to be willing to be nothing, that
He may be all in all.

"He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through
Jesus Christ" Ephesians 1:5

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus!" Galatians 3:26

Here is one of the sweetest privileges of the Christian
life. The Christian is a beloved child, and shares all the
love and tenderness of the Father's heart!

This one thought is a fountain of
unfailing happiness!
"I am at home with God!
Once I was far off — but now I am near.
Once I was a stranger — but now His beloved child!
Once the thought of His presence was fear and dread —
but now it is life, and joy, and peace.
He is my Father, and in this Name all
heart-joys meet.
He knows me by name, and cares for me in all my cares.
He pities me, and in tender compassion marks each tear
I shed, and each sorrow that weighs upon my heart.
He opens His hand, and each day gives me all that I
need.
He bows down His ear and hearkens to each prayer I
offer.
I have boldness and liberty to go at all times into
His presence-chamber, and may tell Him every desire and ask
of Him whatever is for my good."

"How great is the love the Father has
lavished on us, that we should be called children of
God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

~ ~ ~ ~

The
spirit of the world is eating out the very heart and life
of true godliness!

In the matter of friendships, of recreations, of converse in
social life — the Christian needs to be very watchful, if he
would follow the Savior.

Christians should be very careful as to the scenes of
recreation which they frequent. As we find them at the
present day, the Theater, the Ball-room, and the Race-course
— are hot-beds of evil and ungodliness! They are
most injurious to the cultivation of pure and undefiled
religion. To my mind they are perilous in the extreme, and
are calculated to quench every good and holy purpose and
desire in the soul.

Let the love of Christ be supreme! Let no lower motive
satisfy you.
"I see no harm in this or that," say many.
But can you do it in the love of Christ?
Are you living for self — or for Him?
Are you pleasing the world — or pleasing the Master?
Are you so acting, that with a good conscience you can ask
Him to go with you and bless and prosper you in all you do?

Do not I love Thee, O my Lord?
Behold my heart and see;
And cast each hated idol down
That dares to rival Thee!

"Do not be conformed to this world." Romans 12:2
Do not follow its evil customs.
Do not receive its unscriptural teachings.
Do not court its favor, love its praises, or dread its
frowns.

Whatever chains you down to earth, and keeps you on the same
level with the children of this world — this, whatever it
may be, is most assuredly your deadliest enemy. "Don't you
know that the friendship of the world is enmity with
God?"

For what are you to live?
For self-advancement?
For your own ease and comfort?
For laying up a store of wealth for your children when you
have passed away?
Or is it to spend every day of your life, and to order your
affairs so as to glorify Christ, and lay out all that He has
given you, as He would have you?

Walk more closely with God day by day.
Seek to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ.
Strive to be more like your Savior in your whole spirit and
conduct.

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the
Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will
be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

Be careful to guard against all occasions of sin
and evil. There is no safety without setting a watch against
all that is likely to prove a stumbling-block.

I read one day of the remarkable precautions which are taken
to avoid danger in a gunpowder manufactory. The
walls are all of stone, and no wood is allowed to be in the
place. Anyone who walks through has to take off his shoes,
lest the nails in them should strike a spark. Then, if he
has any metal on him, he must leave it at the door. The
danger is so great, that everything must be done to avoid
any approach to it.

Oh that Christians would take heed in a similar way to keep
from the peril of sin! Keep far away from any approach to
temptation. You have gunpowder
hearts — so ready to ignite from the least
spark! A look, a word, an evil example, a sentence in a
book, a suggestion from a bad companion — any of these may
be the cause of a world of mischief.

Therefore, make it your firm resolve to keep out of harm's
way.
Beware of all places, and scenes, and people — that may turn
you from the right course.
Don't imagine you are strong enough to go, and get no harm.
Better to keep far from the edge of the precipice.
Better to keep out of the lion's reach!
Better to keep from the long grass where the viper is coiled
up!
Stop while you can — or you may go so far that it may be
impossible to escape.

Be careful to guard well the various gates of
access to the heart — and of egress into the world.

Guard well the eye. Keep it from vanity. Remember
that one look cost Achan his life — and a lustful look
embittered the whole of David's years. Let the eye look
straight onward, and right upward to the throne.

Guard well the ear. Receive nothing that will
pollute or defile you. Hearken to no voice of flattery or
persuasion to evil. Welcome every message of the word of
truth.

Guard well the memory and imagination. Let
no vision or image tarry there, which will chain and
enthrall the soul. If unclean birds fly over your head — do
not let them settle in your hair!

Nor be less mindful . . .
to curb the tongue,
to guide the foot,
to use the hand,
according to God's holy will.

The words you utter,
the paths you go,
the deeds you perform,
tell mightily on yourself and on others. And none should be
permitted to act except under the control of the fear and
love of God.

Yet always remember, that it is not your careful walking,
but Christ's careful keeping — which will ensure
your final victory!
Your enemies are legion,
your strength is nothing,
your resolutions soon fail,
your heart is easily beguiled and turned aside —
but the good Shepherd will keep His own redeemed people.
He will point out your danger — and enable you to flee from
it.
He will uphold you in perilous places — and lift you up when
you fall.
He will keep you from falling — and save you even to the
uttermost!

"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear
much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." John
15:8

The Christian should be as a branch laden with good fruit,
weighed down with ripened clusters, sweetened by the
glorious sunshine, and gladdening the heart of the Great
Gardener, as He sees in it a rich reward for His toil and
pains!

That they should bear abundant fruit, is one great purpose
of all God's dealings with His people. He not simply wills
that they should be forgiven and saved — but that they
should glorify Him by being fruitful in every good
word and work. To bring glory to God is the very highest object of angel and
archangel before the throne! It is worth
striving for. It is the noblest aim the Christian can
cherish.

It should be our effort day by day to bring our basket of
ripe fruit to the Master — and such as will glorify Him and
receive His gracious approval.

All true fruit which glorifies God, is the outgrowth of
inward spiritual grace. It is an external manifestation of
the Spirit of God abiding within.

Hence the main point always to keep steadfastly
before me, is the absolute necessity of a living union with
Christ. It is the branch abiding in living union with the
stem and root, that alone can bring forth fruit. There is no
possibility of any fruit at all without this.

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you
unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for
apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

I must not aim at doing anything whatever by my own natural
abilities.
In Christ, I must begin,
in Christ, I must continue,
in Christ, I must complete all that I undertake.

On Him I must exercise entire, unlimited, perpetual
dependence!

I must rely upon Him for . . .
daily mercy,
daily grace,
daily keeping,
daily upholding, and
daily power to think and will and work as I ought in
His service.

I must ever abide in Christ by faith, and receive out of His
fullness. I must continually . . .feed on the Living Bread,drink evermore from the Living Fountain,abide in the love of Christ, anddwell beneath the shadow of the Rock of
Ages!

If I would bear fruit — my religion must go heart-deep!
Christ must be all my salvation and all my desire!

"The world is passing away along with its desires, but
whoever does the will of God abides forever!" 1 John 2:17

There is nothing in the world in which we can glory. Its
possessions, its pleasures, its pomp and show, its praise
and flattery — what are they? They
are like the soap-bubbles which little children blow,
glittering for a moment with blue and golden rays, and then
bursting, and they are gone!

"Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done
and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity
and striving after wind and there was no profit under the
sun!" Ecclesiastes 2:11

~ ~ ~ ~

Swept
off the great chess-board of this world!

(George Wilson,
"Counsels of an Invalid" 1862)

"There is noremembrance
of men of old, and even those who are
yet to come will not be
remembered by those who
follow." Ecclesiastes 1:11

"For the wise and the
foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered
any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be
forgotten." Ecclesiastes 2:16

November 26th, 1847.
Dear Friend,
We shall both very soon, I anticipate, be called away from
seeing all things through a glass darkly — to meeting God
face to face, and shall have to answer to Him for the deeds
done in the body.

We would certainly exhibit the most inordinate vanity, if we
thought that the great mass of our fellow-men would be
losers by our being swept
off the great chess-board of this world.

This board, indeed, is always so crowded that, with the
exception of our attached relations and a few friends, the
greater number of our neighbors will be glad to know that
our being cleared away has left more elbow-room. Think how
soon the world gets over the death of an eminent minister —
and let us be content that the place that knew us once,
shall know us no more.

"Our days on earth are
like grass; like wildflowers, we
bloom and die! The wind blows, and we are gone — as though we had never been here!"
Psalm 103:15-16

"The length of our days is seventy years — or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we
fly away.So teach us to
number our days aright, that we may
gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:10, 12

The aim and purpose of every Scripture truth, is to fix the
eye on Christ Himself!
He is the Alpha and Omega of Christianity.
From Him proceeds every ray of light.
To Him all believing hearts are drawn.
The Christian finds consolation and strength only in Him.
Every motive for Christian living is from Him.
The glorious privileges which Christians possess, can only
be enjoyed from union and fellowship with Him.
Their highest standard of duty is to follow His
footsteps, and to walk even as He walked.

Christianity, in fact, is Christ! It is . . .
Christ in the Scriptures;
Christ in the Manger;
Christ on the Cross;
Christ, the Risen One;
Christ, the Ascended One;
Christ, the Prophet, the Priest, the King;
Christ in His Glorious appearing, to be
revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels!

All our trust, all our love, all our obedience, is due to
Him!

The more the eye and the heart is turned fully towards Him —
the more true and genuine is our Christianity.

Do not I love You, Oh
my Lord?
Behold my heart and see,
And turn each cursed idol out,
That dares to rival Thee!

You know I love You, dearest Lord,
But oh, I long to soar,
Far from the sphere of mortal joys,
And learn to love You more!Philip Doddridge

"My people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me — the Fountain of living
waters, and
hewed out cisterns — broken cisterns, that can
hold no water."
Jeremiah 2:13

God reminds us how foolish and unwise it is thus to forsake
the sole source of true happiness.

It is a very forcible image that is here employed —
God is a Fountain, a Well of Life.
He is the source and spring of all
true life, pleasure, holiness, and hope!
In Him is a continual freshness of all that can fill the
soul with joy.
In Him are inexhaustible streams of mercy, grace, and
consolation.
But men forsake this Fountain for cisterns — yes,
more, for broken cisterns, from which soon leak out
the few drops of water they may contain.

A traveler in the Holy Land tells us that in one part he
found the land riddled with the remains of these broken
cisterns. When water was needed, they would just dig
one of these little clay cisterns in the ground. It would
hold water for a time, but soon, when the sun was hot and
weather dry, it would crack and leak — and so another and
another would be needed.

Ah, what pains and trouble men take in hewing out cisterns
like these . . . wealth unsanctifiedby true riches,
the acquisition of knowledge with no end
beyond its possession,
a position and name that shall
dazzle those around,
schemes of self-indulgence and pleasure,
a comfortable home where God is forgotten,
some object of affection which engrosses every
thought —
how often something of this kind steals the heart from God!
But before long there is sure to be a crack, a leak — and
the joy and the comfort is dried up and gone!

So God in His tender compassion would have us see this, and
remember that nothing can ever take the place of Himself as
our Well-spring of joy.

"My people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me — the Fountain of living
waters, and
hewed out cisterns — broken cisterns, that can
hold no water."
Jeremiah 2:13

God reminds us how foolish and unwise it is thus to forsake
the sole source of true happiness.

It is a very forcible image that is here employed —
God is a Fountain, a Well of Life.
He is the source and spring of all
true life, pleasure, holiness, and hope!
In Him is a continual freshness of all that can fill the
soul with joy.
In Him are inexhaustible streams of mercy, grace, and
consolation.
But men forsake this Fountain for cisterns — yes,
more, for broken cisterns, from which soon leak out
the few drops of water they may contain.

A traveler in the Holy Land tells us that in one part he
found the land riddled with the remains of these broken
cisterns. When water was needed, they would just dig
one of these little clay cisterns in the ground. It would
hold water for a time, but soon, when the sun was hot and
weather dry, it would crack and leak — and so another and
another would be needed.

Ah, what pains and trouble men take in hewing out cisterns
like these . . . wealth unsanctifiedby true riches,
the acquisition of knowledge with no end
beyond its possession,
a position and name that shall
dazzle those around,
schemes of self-indulgence and pleasure,
a comfortable home where God is forgotten,
some object of affection which engrosses every
thought —
how often something of this kind steals the heart from God!
But before long there is sure to be a crack, a leak — and
the joy and the comfort is dried up and gone!

So God in His tender compassion would have us see this, and
remember that nothing can ever take the place of Himself as
our Well-spring of joy.

"Thus says the LORD:
Let not a wise man glory of his wisdom,
and let not the mighty man glory in his
might,
let not a rich man glory in his riches.
But let him who glories, glory in this — that he understands
and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these
things!" Jeremiah 9:23-24

Glory in Christ — and in Him alone!

Glory in Him as your Faithful Shepherd, who will
care for you, and guard you, and restore you, and keep you
even to the end.

Glory in Him as your Unfailing Physician, who will
heal your soul-wounds, and bind up the bleeding, broken
heart.

Glory in Him as your Great High Priest, who ever
lives to plead your cause before the Throne of grace.

Glory in Him as your Omnipotent King, who reigns
over the events of Providence, and will make all things
work together for your eternal good.

Glory in Him as your Mighty Redeemer, who will
deliver you from every enemy, and make you conqueror over
sin, death and Hell.

Glory in Him as your Everlasting Portion,
remembering that when all else shall take wings and flee
away — when the home is broken up, and dear ones die, and
means grow less, and health decays, yes, when everything
on earth fails you — He will be your
everlasting treasure, and your unchangeable Friend!

And let this glorying be seen by your entire
resignation to His will — and by choosing His path
rather than your own.

"Not I, but
Christ!" Lord, choose for me,
And make me love what pleases Thee.

"Not I, but Christ!" His will be done,
And mine with His be merged in one.

Myself no longer would I see,
But Jesus crucified for me.

His eye to guide, His voice to cheer,
His mighty arm forever near.

"Not I, but Christ!" Lord, let this be
A motto throughout life for me!

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown
of glory that will never fade away!" 1 Peter 5:4

A crown is the height of human ambition. Yet earthly crowns
are as the fading garlands, with which the conquerors at
games, races, and combats were crowned — which were made of
herbs, leaves, and flowers.

But a believer's crown, his inheritance, his glory, his
happiness, his blessedness — shall be as fresh and
flourishing after he has been many millions of years in
Heaven — as it was at his first entrance into it!

Earthly crowns are like
tennis-balls, which are bandied up and down
from one to another, and in time wear out.
When time shall be no more,
when earthly crowns and kingdoms shall be no more,
yes, when the world shall be no more —
the Christian's crown of glory shall be fresh, flourishing,
and continuing!

All the devils in Hell shall never wrangle a believer out of
his heavenly inheritance, nor deprive him of his crown of
glory. The least thing in heaven, is better than the
greatest things in this world. All things on earth are
fading away — but the crown of glory never fades away!

If you would lead a
pure life — have nothing to do with bad books and
impure newspapers. With such immoral literature as
is coming forth from our swift-revolving printing-presses,
there is no excuse for dragging one's self through
sewers of unchastity.

Never read a bad book! By the time you get through
the first chapter, you will see the drift of it.
If you find the hoof-prints of the devil in the
pictures, or in the style, or in the plot — away with it!
You may tear your coat, or break a vase —
and repair them again. But it takes less than an hour to
do your soul a damage — which no time can
entirely repair!

Young man, as you value Heaven, never buy a book from one
of those men who meet you in the square, and, after
looking both ways to see if the police are watching, shows
you a book — "very cheap". Have him arrested — as
you would kill a rattle-snake! Grab him, and shout, "Police!
police!"

But there is more danger, I think, from many of the family
newspapers. Some of them contain stories of vice and
shame, full of evil suggestions, and go as far as they can
without exposing themselves to the clutch of the law. On
some tables in Christian homes, there lie "family
newspapers" which are the very vomit of the pit of
Hell!

The way to ruin is
cheap! It costs three dollars to go to Philadelphia;
six dollars to Boston; thirty-three dollars to Savannah.
But, by the purchase of a bad paper for ten cents — you may get a ticket straight to
Hell, by express, with few stopping-places!
And the final stop is like the tumbling of the
train over a bridge — sudden, dreadful, deathly, never to
rise.

O, the power of an iniquitous pen! If a needle
punctures the body at a certain point — life is
destroyed. But the pen is a sharper instrument —
for with its puncture you may kill your soul!

Do not think that that book which you find fascinating
and entertaining, is therefore healthful. Some of the
worst poisons are pleasant to the taste. The pen
which for the time fascinates you — may have been dipped
in the slime of impure hearts!

Poets and painters have portrayed Satan
as a hideous creature, with horns and
hoofs.
If I were a poet, I would describe him with . . .manners polished to the last perfection,hair flowing in graceful ringlets,eye glistening with splendor;hands soft and diamonded;step light and graceful;voice mellow as a flute; conversation articulate and eloquent; breath perfumed until it would seem that
nothing had ever touched his lips but balm and myrrh.

But his heart I would encase with the scales of a
monster, then filled . . .
with pride,
with beastliness of lust,
with recklessness,
with hypocrisy,
with death,
with damnation!

In my next portrait, I would
unmask the devil — until . . .
his two eyes would become the cold orbs of
the adder;
and on his lip would come the foam of raging
intoxication;
and to his feet, the spring of the panther;
and his soft hand would become the clammy
hand of a wasted skeleton;
and in the smooth lisp of his tongue, would
come the hiss of the worm which never dies;
while suddenly from his heart would burst in
all-devouring fury — the unquenchable flames of Hell!

But, until unmasked, I would describe him as nothing
but myrrh, and balm, and ringlet, and diamond, and
flute-like voice, with pleasant and mirthful conversation.

"So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very
familiar with his evil schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11

~ ~ ~ ~

But why?

(Don Fortner)

"Behold, we count them blessed who endure." James
5:11

Faith counts them blessed who patiently endure trials, as
Job, the saints, and prophets of old did.

But why? Upon what grounds do we count them
blessed?

Enduring their trials, God's saints find themselves
compelled to cling tightly to their Savior — -and that
brings them into closer, sweeter communion with Him. And
that is our happiness! We are blessed, indeed, when . . .
we are admitted into the inner chambers of Him whom
our souls love,
our sorrows more fully reveal to us the Man
of Sorrows,
our griefs cast us upon the heart of our
God,
our troubles take us to the Throne of Grace.

Little chicks in the sunshine run all over the
yard, pecking and gathering whatever they find. But if a hawk
appears in the sky, the mother hen calls them with a
sharp alarm. Immediately, they perceive the danger and run
under her wings for safety.

God's saints are like those chicks. He was a much afflicted
man who wrote, "He shall cover you with His feathers, and
under His wings shall you trust." Psalm 91:4

One of the most delicious of sensations outside of Heaven,
is to fall helplessly into the arms of Christ! There
we find . . .
strength in helplessness,
joy in submission,
rest in resignation,
and peace in surrender!
Anything which . . .
gives new life to prayer,
brings us to the Throne of Grace,
and renews communion with our God —
is so great a gift that, "we count them blessed who
endure."

There is no place in all our pilgrim journey more needful
for our souls than the Valley of Humiliation. The tops of
the Delectable Mountains are wonderful, exhilarating spots,
from which we sometimes see the Golden City. But those are
heights too steep for our trembling feet to stand firmly
upon them. The valley suits us better, though flesh
and blood finds it hard to go downhill. Here our dear Savior
manifests Himself to His chosen as He does not to the world.
Therefore "we count them blessed who endure."

Once more, "we count them blessed who endure," because "our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" 2
Corinthians 4:17. Oh, what glory awaits us on the other
side! And that glory awaiting us is made all the more
glorious by "the trial of our faith!"

O merciful God, our Creator and our Benefactor, our Father
in Christ Jesus — we come to You today to thank and praise
You for all Your manifold mercies. We thank You for the
proofs of Your goodness which day by day we receive at Your
kind hands. You have given us all things richly to enjoy.
You have given to us home and friends, food and clothing —
and You have preserved us in life and health. For all this
bounty we adore and praise Your holy name.

But we would bless You most of all, for Your inestimable
love in our redemption. You have given Your Son Jesus Christ
to be a sacrifice for our sins. Fill us with sincere
gratitude, and teach us to praise You both with our lips and
in our lives.

O God of love, purify our hearts that we may love You as we
ought. You are worthy that we should love You far above all
else. But we are carnal, and our affections cling too much
to the things of the world. May Your Holy Spirit break the
chains which bind us so closely to earth, and draw us nearer
to Yourself. Shed abroad Your love in our hearts, that we
may desire Your presence above all things. Kindle within
each of us the heavenly flame, and may it burn ever more and
more brightly.

O blessed Savior, the Good Shepherd of Your flock — may Your
holy life be the pattern which we
daily strive to copy. Teach us so to walk as
You walked when sojourning here below. May our constant aim
be to do the will of our Father in Heaven. May we be gentle
and meek and forbearing towards all men. May we never
willfully yield to the very least sin. May we give
ourselves unto prayer, and make Your Word the rule of our
life. May we go about doing good, and watch for
occasions of comforting those in distress. Fill our hearts
with zeal and love, with patience and kindness, with
humility, and hatred of all evil. May we daily fix our eye
on You as revealed in Your Word, and may we be changed into
Your holy image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of our
God.

May Your Word ever be the light to guide and direct us, and
may Christ alone be the resting-place of our heart.

Hear us, O God, and preserve us evermore by Your help and
goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
Heaven."Matthew 5:16

We are
to let the beauty of Jesus be seen upon us, that some rays
of His glorious holiness may be manifested to the eyes of the world
around. We are to go forth clothed in . . .
His meekness,
His purity,
His love,
His heavenliness,
His unselfishness —
that sinners about us may gain some faint idea of His
grace, through His likeness seen in us.

When, from beneath the
humble garb of some lowly disciple, there shines forth
something of Christ, something of what He was when on earth
— here is a sermon which none can
dispute, here is an appeal to the human
conscience, more eloquent than the most powerful address
ever made from the pulpit!

Christian, do you thus
glorify Christ day by day?

Does your life speak so
distinctly and plainly for Christ, that men cannot fail to
hear?

Does your temper, your
tone of thought and speech, bear witness that you walk
continually before God?

Do men take knowledge of
you, that you have been with Him — and that He is with you?

Is there transparent
sincerity in what you say, and unsullied
integrity in all your actions?

Is there the spirit of
self-sacrifice — trampling SELF under foot, and
spending time and money for the welfare of others?

Is there a deep hatred
of sin as sin, and a desire to do the will of God under all
circumstances?

Is there a fixed
determination rather to die, than willfully to break a
single command, or cast a shadow of dishonor on the name of
Him who so loved you?

Do you "long to be like
Jesus," and every moment to live devotedly and wholly in His
service?

Then for this purpose, plead with Him this prayer, "Lord
Jesus, glorify Yourself in me! Help me to show forth by my
daily life, that I have been with You. May Your image be
formed in me, and may Your life on earth be the pattern
which I ever strive to follow."